Generally speaking, I hate awards season. I'm all for giving great things love and recognition, but most of the time these awards ceremonies pick terrible nominees (I'm looking at you, Saturn Awards...) or they devolve into pure popularity contests--complete with vote pandering, ballot-box-stuffing, and all sorts of other unpleasantness. However, genre fans can always count on the Rondo Awards to be beyond reproach. And as they prepare to give out their statues for an eighth year, they've announced this year's list of nominees.

Featuring 30 categories that consider nearly every area of horror fandom, the Rondo nominees are selected from suggestions made by fans at the Classic Horror Film Board. That list is then refined by founder David Colton and 20 other fans with experience in different areas of horror fandom. What emerges is a list of nominees that comprise the best of the best in their respective categories.

Now that the list has been unveiled, it's up to you, the fans, to determine who wins. Here's how to vote and the official rules for participation. Winners of the 8th Annual Rondo Awards will be announced on April 4, 2010.

HOW TO VOTE: All voting is by e-mail only. Simply copy the ballot found on the Rondo Hatton Awards homepage and send an e-mail with your picks to David Colton at taraco@aol.com by midnight, April 3, 2010.
THE RULES: One vote per person, please. Every e-mail MUST include your name to be counted. But rest assured that all votes are kept strictly confidential. No e-mail addresses nor any personal information will ever be shared with anyone.